| Annie Kuster was born and raised in Concord, New Hampshire to a family that taught her the values of kindness and empathy. Growing up, Annie helped her late mother, State Senator Susan McLane, who served in the NH House and Senate for over 25 years and was a pioneer for women in New Hampshire politics. Through that experience, Annie gained an appreciation for the good that government can do for communities and people, and a deep desire to help create positive change for Granite Staters. Her late father, Malcolm McLane, was Mayor of Concord, a New Hampshire Executive Councilor, and served as a prominent attorney for over 50 years.
Kuster is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where she serves on the Health Subcommittee, Energy Subcommittee, and the Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee. She is also the Chair of the New Democrat Coalition - a group of nearly 100 commonsense Democrats working to break through the partisan gridlock and get things done for the American people.
Since taking office in 2013, Annie has prioritized efforts to facilitate the creation of good jobs and to increase economic opportunity for every New Hampshire family. Annie knows small businesses serve as the backbone of our local economy, and she's advanced critical legislation to support New Hampshire businesses including the Community Energy Savings Program (CESP) Act, the Invest in American Railroads Act, and the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021. In the 116th Congress, Annie released her 2020 Jobs and Opportunity Agenda, a blueprint of legislative proposals that Annie is pushing in Congress to help New Hampshire businesses grow and create more jobs.
In Congress, Annie is focused on bringing Granite State voices to Washington. As the founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, she is working across the aisle to address the substance use crisis in New Hampshire and throughout the country and advance evidence-based approaches to end the opioid epidemic once and for all.
A survivor of sexual assault herself, Annie knows that assisting survivors is truly a matter of life or death, especially in times of crisis. That's why she founded and co-chairs the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence to ensure survivors have a voice in Congress. Annie has worked to deliver real results for survivors, including introducing and co-sponsoring legislation like the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act, and the Hold Accountable and Lend Transparency on Campus Sexual Violence Act. She has continued the important conversation around sexual violence by hosting roundtables to discuss and address sexual and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the racial disparities in access to care for survivors. Rep. Kuster also sent a letter urging President Joe Biden's administration to create a Special Advisor on Sexual Violence position at the HHS and one to Education Secretary Cardona imploring him to reverse former Secretary Devos's horrific final Title IX rule. Annie is committed to survivors and will keep fighting for their safety and wellbeing in Congress.
The daughter of a WWII veteran who was shot down during the Battle of the Bulge and spent the final years of the war in a Nazi POW camp, Annie is also dedicated to providing the necessary resources so our nation's veterans have the support they need to make a smooth and successful transition back to civilian life. As a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Annie advanced a number of legislative initiatives to improve the lives of veterans across the country, including the Protecting Business Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2019, the VA Mission Telehealth Clarification Act, and the Military Family Violence Prevention Act.
As a lifelong Granite Stater, Annie recognizes the importance of family farms and healthy forests to our economy. In Congress, she has championed Granite State priorities like conserving natural resources, cutting wasteful subsidies, supporting organic farming, and fighting childhood hunger. During her first term in office, Annie helped pass into law a bipartisan Farm Bill that included many measures she championed, including provisions to support local Granite State farms, protect wildlife habitats, promote the domestic maple syrup industry, and invest in renewable energy.
Annie is also committed to protecting the programs Granite State seniors count on, such as Medicare, Social Security, and medical research funding for diseases that affect older Americans. With her late mother, who suffered from Alzheimer's Disease, Annie co-authored a book entitled "The Last Dance- Facing Alzheimer's with Love and Laughter." Before taking office, Annie and her father toured the state speaking out about Alzheimer's Disease and the burdens it places on families and caregivers. In Congress, Annie has championed legislation both to increase funding for research on finding a cure to this deadly disease and to provide vital support for caregivers who work full-time looking after their loved ones.
Annie graduated from Dartmouth College in 1978 as part of the College's third class that included women students, and from Georgetown University Law Center in 1984. Annie is a member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, and before her election to Congress, she maintained a private adoption practice in which she helped hundreds of New Hampshire families adopt children.
Annie and her husband Brad, an environmental lawyer, now live in Hopkinton where they raised their two sons, Zach and Travis. |